Backstory: 991 GTS

backstory behind buying my 991.1 GTS Porsche

The first Porsche that I noticed as a kid was the 70’s era 911 RS/RSR.  There is no shortage of reasons to covet those cars, if not for the wide body and ducktail alone.  Add a Brumos or Martini livery for the Triple Crown in styling.

With a wide body and ducktail, the 911 GTS-based 2016 PCA 60th Anniversary cars were just one crown short of the triple.  Take the iconic styling, plus my affection for the GTS line and my wife’s urging to buy a “blue Porsche”, and you could build a pretty good case for adding one to the garage.

I wasn’t in a position to buy a PCA 60th Anniversary car in 2016, even if I could have won a spot in the drawing.  By 2019 that position had changed though, so I set out to find one.

A few low mileage specimens were available around the country, but the asking prices were stratospheric.  One slipped away on Bring a Trailer at a very reasonable price while no one was watching during the Christmas break.  Another came up for sale in the middle of nowhere which made a PPI nearly impossible; another miss.  Then came the chance to bid on a PCA 60th car at the Amelia Island Gooding auction in March 2020.

We planned to attend the Amelia event during the weekend.  The car was scheduled for auction on Friday.  Not a problem since online bidding was an option.  I registered, set a bid ceiling, and signed in from home.  Covid-19 was just starting to look serious in the US.  I was certain that it would affect bidding.  Giving me a shot at winning the auction with ease.  We could pick up the car when we arrived at Amelia Island for the weekend concours events.

I was in the game with the high bid several times before another bidder took the price above my ceiling.  It was tough, but I exercised the discipline.  Someone else is driving that car now!

I continued to think about the PCA 60th cars over the next few months.  In early June, a GTS was listed in The Mart at PCA.com.  It had clearly been spec-ed to look like one of the 60 PCA cars.  I hesitated, and few days later the car was gone.  I missed another one!

Like most enthusiasts, I look at car listings daily.  To my surprise a GTS was listed by an exotics broker on the West Coast just a short time after the car on The Mart disappeared.  It had to be the same car; a bit of internet sleuthing proved it.

I was able to talk to the original owner (OO).  Once I heard the story, I knew it was the car I wanted.  His story is now part of the backstory behind buying my 991.1 GTS Porsche.

The OO is in the car business on the West coast.  He has owned several Porsches over the years, and is a PCA member.  When the PCA 60th cars were announced, he and a friend decided to enter the drawing.  Only one of them pulled a golden ticket!

The two friends decided to order two cars together anyway, with one spec-ing a legit PCA 60th Anniversary car and the other spec-ing a standard GTS to match.  The paperwork made it all the way through the regional and US systems before the Germans kicked it back.  Only PCA cars could be ordered in Club Blau.  A hilarious exchange ensued after a BMW PTS color was requested before the OO settled on Voodoo Blue.

Several other features were added for comfort and to complete the retro look, all of which made the spec even more appealing to me.  The car even has the Fuchs-style wheels that adorned the PCA 60th cars, although even that involves a story.  The factory refused to sell those wheels as an option after delivery without a VIN for a PCA 60th car; a situation rectified with a call to a friend who was lucky enough to have one!

Think of it as PCA #61!  We both tried and failed to get a legitimate 60th anniversary car.  Being in the car business, the OO knew how to work the system to his advantage.  An impostor was born!  The backstory made it all more appealing to me.